


Shine On Instant Oatmeal and ecetera, ecetera

by MsMiaMimi (Mc_Mimi)



Category: X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) - Fandom, X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern: Still Have Powers, Charles and Emma are scheming schemers, Charles is a Professor, Domestic Fluff, Don't let Erik Babysit, Erik Logic Is The Best Logic, Erik is not a Happy Bunny, I think i found the plot, M/M, getting really domestic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-05
Updated: 2015-06-14
Packaged: 2018-03-05 11:29:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3118505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mc_Mimi/pseuds/MsMiaMimi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shaw was a businessman. He could play hardball.  He could go toe to toe with the toughest competition, hell he could absorb kinetic energy!  He was sure it would be easy to negotiate terms to get exactly what he wanted.  </p><p>His lawyer's stepbrother's husband.</p><p>Easy.</p><p>If only the 'baby' would stop being a brat about it.  Oh and he might be going to jail soon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sights are Set

Prologue – Shaw POV

He hasn’t seen anything look so innocent and vulnerable in a long time, thinks Sebastian Shaw, and he finds himself sharing the thought with Emma at his side. 

She merely rolls her eyes but he continues to stare across the restaurant. From his private and well-paid for booth he can make out the fay little thing sitting on stool at the bar. The boy can’t be much older than twenty-one if he was permitted in the building. The boy’s feet dangling and swinging from the stool where his toes can’t quite reach the foot rest. He’s covered up in an expensive wool coat and in his lap, he’s holding a volleyball sized metal orb. Every once and while he takes one hand off the thing to take delicate sips of whatever amber drink is in his shot glass. 

Shaw doesn’t see any point in being subtle about his interest, and he tells Emma so. 

She glares at him but finally she takes a good look at the boy. She huffs in amusement. Shaw doesn’t know if that a good or bad thing yet.

“Well,” he says, “Take a little peak and at least get me his name.”

Instead of quietly using her powers, she raises her glass and nods at the young man at the bar. To Shaw’s surprise, the young man actually nods backs and gives Emma a tight smile.  
“You know him?”

“You idiot. That’s Professor Charles Xavier. I went to prep school with him in England.”

“Oh.” Said Shaw as if completely understood, but he didn’t.

It must have shown on his face, because Emma explained further. Apparently, Charles Xavier was brilliant, powerful, rich, and famous in academic circles. And furthermore…

“And furthermore,” says Emma with a particular icy tone, “I’m not going to risk snooping around in the mind of the world’s most powerful telepath.”

A telepath? That cute little bundle of – wait Shaw could tell Emma was still reading him and that the boy was probably picking up this… attention. Instead of finishing his thought, he decided to focus on being cordial. “Emma would you be a dear and introduce us.”

Emma sighed as if this was the most boring conversation she ever had misfortune to be part of. Well tough, thought Shaw. This was happening, whether she liked it or not.

Before he could stand up and drag her over to the bar, the curious metal ball starting hovering over Charles. Lines of metal wire slipped out or from ball, tugged on the young man until he was out of his seat. Shaw blinked at this and looked over to make sure Emma had seen the same thing. She appeared to be more interested in her manicure. 

By the time Shaw had looked up again, the ball was again just a ball but it was hovering behind Charles, and Charles—Charles was wrapped up in the arms of another man.

Shaw didn’t like this where was going. He looked down to Emma again, expecting maybe a little support, what with his recent heartbreak and all. A sudden smile cracked cross Emma face and she stood quickly to run over to the bar.

Shaw followed after. What choice did he have?

“Seb,” said Emma smiling fondly at the two lovers and floating metal orb. “You remember my stepbrother, Erik? This is his husband, Charles.”

Shaw took a moment, only a moment to internalize a scream of rage, so that he could plaster on the most fake smile he could manage and reach out to the younger men. “I’m Sebastian Shaw.” He said focusing solely on Charles.


	2. Chapter 1 - That was Gross, Charles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ew, Charles, just Ew.

Chapter 1 Erik POV

“What a disgusting little man.” Erik said out loud for tenth time since leaving the restaurant. “My stepsister told me he was a loathsome bastard, but to actually see it? Mein Gott, what a disgusting little man!”

The pair came home about half an hour after having dinner with Emma and Shaw. Charles and Emma had obviously kept up a telepathic dialogue while Shaw openly stared at Charles. Which meant the conversation at Shaw’s booth was non-existent. So Erik quickly ate and excused them both from the table. Before they could leave Shaw creepily tried to slip his card into Charles’s coat pocket.

Fortunately, Baby didn’t like that. The metal orb slapped the thing out of his hand and climbed up, wrapping wires around Charles. Charles had apologized and told them that Erik had made the thing a little crazy. Neither Shaw nor Emma could really understand what the thing was so they forgave it for the weirdness and let the couple go. Erik wasn’t in a forgiving mood.

When they came up to driveway to the side of the mansion, (not the front because Erik hated when Baby played in the chandelier) Erik was slamming doors and stomping into the kitchen.

Charles paid no heed to Erik’s outburst, which Erik found even more irritating. His husband didn’t seem to understand the effect he had on people. And disgusting little people like ‘Seb’ were always ogling his innocent Charles…

“Innocent, really?”

“Stop reading my mind! Private thoughts, Charles! Private!”

“Alright, then stop being so loud or just say what it is you’re thinking—oh no I walked right into that.”

Charles looked like he preparing himself for a long night and setting his kettle up and putting Baby on a little stand by the stove. (You should never do that with a real baby by the way.) Erik took their coats and hung them up, pretending for a moment that he wasn’t about to go on a tirade about the Captain of Evil Industry.

He sat down and took off his shoes and tried to get comfortable while the tea boiled. He managed to carelessly pick up the paper he left on the table that morning and looked over the headlines he already read. And just as he thought Charles was getting too comfortable, he decided to explain things to Charles in a rational and logical manner.

“HE IS DISGUSTING! You know what he’s been up to lately? He’s practically a slave master overseas and Emma has to dismantle five foreign soil sweatshops he set up save money on American production. FIVE! She has no business working for that disgusting little man in the first place. What the hell does he have her anyway!?” Erik thought all that sounded rather reasonable, as an opening volley.

Charles seemed to expect some ~~rant~~ explanation, and was still projecting calm and serenity by slowly pouring tea into their cups.

“Well she got into bed with him, quite literally.”

“That’s disgusting Charles! She’s my sister, and you mean really, really?

“Really, truly.”

“That disgusting little man!”

“Darling,”

“Don’t ‘Darling’ me, I don’t want to calm down. The enemy was in my restaurant ogling my husband. I’m not going to stand for this, Charles.” Erik paused and looked over at the stove, and saw no Baby. “Where’s Baby?”

Charles raised an eyebrow and finished sipping his tea. “You turned her into a puddle of goo.”

“OH poor Baby,” Erik said feeling a genuine pang of guilt for the thing, “Come to Vati.”

Hearing that the thing they called Baby slithered out from under the stove, recombining until it again looked like a ball. It hovered over and landed back in Charles lap, it’s (and Erik’s) favorite place.

Charles sighed and Erik could tell he had somehow won round one of this battle. Charles seemed to be on the retreat and didn’t try the ‘Oh Erik, Don’t Be Mean To People’ speech. Nor the ‘Oh Erik, All People Have Good In Them’ spiel.

Charles simply stood up and kissed Erik on the head, “You are a sweet man. You needn’t worry so much. I had quite the long chat with Emma. She's been at this game awhile you know. In three years, she’ll have all his money and property and that ‘disgusting little man’ won’t know what hit him.”

Erik wasn’t expecting that move. And that was a move, don’t mistake it. Charles had dismissed Erik’s worry entirely, and effectively wiped the board clean. Erik hates it when he does that.

Erik stood up and followed his husband back to their bedroom on the second floor. On the way up the stairs, Baby had decided to stop hovering and just magnetically stowed a ride up on Erik shoulder. One would think it would be uncomfortable to a carry what appeared to be solid steel on top of one’s shoulder but Erik and Charles did so frequently since Baby was a telepathically imbued ball of Erik’s power operating by Charles’s intent.

In fact, Erik was proud that together they had created an independent personality, hosted by Charles’s huge brain. He wasn’t afraid Charles would wake up schizophrenic or something. If living with his level of telepathy for over a decade hadn’t done it, nothing would. He hoped.

Charles heard that last thing and looked back Erik fondly. “You think I’m going insane?”

Erik stopped and shrugged, “You have been baby nuts lately. What with your ex-wife and David...”

Charles’s face shut down completely, “I don’t want to talk about that tonight Erik. In the morning, alright?” He didn’t wait for answer and left Erik to follow the siren that is Charles’s ass go up the stairs.

“A siren?”

“Stop that, Charles.”

Alright maybe his romantic metaphors needed some work but there was a board to reset and an argument to finish. So when they reached their room, (finally- good god Erik would never get used to how huge the house was), Erik started to undress with purpose. Purpose was good. Purpose showed he meant business. So he brought his business back up while deliberately standing in just his very tight mankini underwear.

Charles’s next move surprised him, again. The man actually laughed. “You want to discuss Shaw while you’re naked?”

Erik winced and had to stop himself from covering his important bits with his hands. “No!”

Charles smirked. He was looking very smug, still fully dressed and now sitting in the armchair across the bed. “Are you sure? I mean I hate for you to go sleep still worried about that interesting man…”

“Disgusting,” corrected Erik. “He’s a disgusting little man!”

Erik turned around but he could feel Charles eyeing him as he tactfully retreated behind his robe. When he turned back around he saw Baby had gone dormant on the floor by the door. He couldn’t feel any of his power being syphoned off to manipulate it, so that meant Charles was ready for bed. That was good. But Charles hadn’t removed his clothes. He just sat there with his eyes hooded biting his lower lip. He was clearly up to no good.

Erik felt himself blush. You wouldn’t think that a small man in awful argyle sweater vest could make someone like Erik Lehnsherr blush, but he did. Erik decided to change tactics. Coy, he could do coy couldn’t he?

“You coy?” Charles huffed out a laugh and patted his thigh.

Erik rolled his eyes but stalked over and sat down on his (and Baby’s) favorite place. Wrapping his arms around Charles neck and he leaned forward. “You are over dressed for bed, you little hobbit.”

Charles slipped a hand under his robe and palmed Erik’s backside… Erik would like to think he didn’t squeak.

Charles then leaned up and nibbled at his husband’s neck and chin before whispering, “We’re not going to bed anytime soon.”

Erik would also like to think his toes didn’t curl from the sound of the posh voice in his ear or the strong hands now kneading at the meat of thighs. No he was completely unaffected. Totally alright. Completely in control. Then Charles had the audacity to mouth at just the right spot behind his ears.

The rest of the night was kind of blur of intense and messy orgasms, a ruined sweater vest, and rug burn. Erik found himself waking up thinking about how lucky he was and how happy he was to have Charles in life. They’d only been married for a year and half, after all.

Charles sleepily smiled up at him, “And good morning to you to, love.”

Erik kissed him pulled back, lazily tracing an invisible line from freckle to freckle on Charles’s chest. Charles hummed and Erik smiled at him again before saying, “So, about the Shaw problem.”

Erik was only a little surprised to find himself being smothered with his own pillow a moment later before Charles stomped off and locked himself in the bathroom. Erik sat up and looked at Baby, which was waking up and rolling over to the bed. “What,” he barked. The thing went inert again and Erik smiled to himself.


	3. Who Do You Think You Are? A Rock Star? Well Right You Are!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet Tony Stark, he's not in the mood to grope you. That will probably change.

Shaw POV

Angel was a delightful creature. She hadn’t been with the company for long, but she made a delicious bowl of oatmeal. It wasn’t secret that for breakfast every morning, Shaw had a simple bowl of warm oatmeal. He even told a reporter once about how growing up poor with his grandfather in the woods had cemented in him an appreciation for the simple things in life. The New York Times made it their cover story a few years ago and ever since, he’s been getting free oatmeal from every business shark in the water. The water is murkier than ever and he’s pretty sure one of these gourmet hot cereal boxes is going to be poisoned. Angel is delightfully happy to have a bowl first, before serving him.

Once finished with his breakfast bowl, Shaw sets it down and goes to the window. He actually lives in the top floor of his building. Which is a few blocks away from that eyesore, with giant A on it. Yuck, he thinks, Tony Stark hasn’t any sense for architecture. But if he plays his cards right the man be willing to invest in a little venture with him in Russia. Actually he’s counting on the fact that Tony Stark was recently kidnapped and returned home so he’s sure the man is ripe for the plunking. All he has to do mention revenge or something he’ll have all the resources he need to make his move on Moscow.

Just as he’s thinking about dollar and ruble signs dancing the tango, (he may even been wiggling his narrow hips a bit, getting footloose as it were), did Angel decide to flutter into office.

“Sir, I’m afraid your meeting with Mr. Stark today has been cancelled.” She lands near his desk. 

Shaw has a second to appreciate the way her work-appropriate skirt floats down a half-second after her feet hit the ground. And he’s always had special place in his heart for a woman who wear red panties. They were just as lacy as her wings, Shaw mused. Then the pretty young girl cleared her throat and he asked a very intelligent question. “Wha?”

“Mr. Stark’s assistant or girlfriend or whatever she is, called. She cancelled the meeting. And insisted I lose the number to her office.” Angel looked a worried. The poor girl, was obviously nervous about delivering bad news.

No one could ever say Sebastian would kill a hot messenger. He forgave her of course, and said so.

“That’s all right, dear. We’ll simply have to find another way. Get a hold of Obie Stane for me would, ya? In fact,” he amended eying the girl up and down, “In fact go to him in person and tell him we’re inviting him to lunch.”

Angel looked unsure. She was biting her lip and fidgeting little, “We, sir?”

Shaw offered his most charming smile, “Of course we. We are the company. You are an important part of this company.”

 

Erik POV

Erik finds himself pacing in Stark’s ugly tower starring across at what he knows is Shaw’s ugly tower. If he runs into one more billionaire he going to hit someone.

“Erik, tea?” Charles is somehow acting more like an assistant than Stark’s assistant or whatever she is. Erik is almost proud that his billionaire is standing there in the ugliest blue sweater serving tea while they wait on the pompous ass to arrive for this last minute meeting.

Pepper smiles and accepts the tea like she’s the Queen of England. Charles actually gives her a little bow before taking his seat and pouring his own tea. He knows better than to offer any to Erik. At least Erik hopes that’s why he’s been left out.

Charles quickly turns his head, with big sad eyes, “You’re not being left out. I know you don’t like drinking tea, darling. Do you want some coffee?”

He actually starts to stand up but Erik shakes his head no. “I’m just being-“

“Insecure?”

“Stop that.”

“Sorry darling, I just don’t want to be the billionaire that you punch in the face.”

Erik hadn’t forgotten that the ugly sweater wearer was loaded. He makes a tight face and raises an eyebrow, “If I’m going hit anyone today its going to be that clown. I don’t care what happened to him, he’s not using you for any fake PR stunts, that talentless short little dancing monkey.”

Charles and Pepper share a look that says, ‘True dat.’

Pepper sits back taking in the abuse for her employer, “I can assume at this point Tony isn’t coming, and that’s fine. You'll have to see him later anyway for another matter. I can ask you gentlemen myself if you’re interested in helping us start a foundation in the name of his late friend, Dr. Yinsen.”

Charles motions for Erik to sit down. He must be taking this seriously. The name Yinsen does ring a bell, but Erik can’t place the man in his own memories. Charles obliges him with a mental photobook of the two years Dr. Yinsen worked with him and his ex-wife in the Middle East. He skips over the all the loving embraces with Gabrielle, and sends Erik a glimpse of a man with kind eyes. Dr. Yinsen had a big heart, incredible medical and engineering skills, and a talent for inspiring younger men. He had a beautiful family that loved him as much he loved them. And they were all gone now, wasted potential that could have made the world a better place for humans and mutants.

Charles has to shake Erik out of his daze. “His eldest son was a mutant, he could talk to birds.” Charles smiles at the fond memory. 

Knowing Charles has lost people he cared about makes something in Erik’s chest clinch up and ache, so he takes Charles by the hand. “This is important to you, don’t let my misan-Tony get in the way.”

That actually shakes a full body laugh out Charles and even Ms. Pepper seems amused. 

Erik is about to try for another laugh (because Charles should laugh more often, it’s where sunshine and flowers come from, but don’t ever tell him that), when he senses a very peculiar piece of machinery nearby. To his surprise, Tony Stark actually comes in the office. And he’s sober. There’s no bimbo on his arm. He’s wearing both of his shoes. And pants! Erik’s never seen him like this before.

Pepper gets up to cede the big chair behind the desk to Tony, but the man stops her. He looks very serious, bright eyed and focused. He turns his attention to Charles. “Charles, I’m so sorry.”

Charles nods solemnly, “He meant a great deal to a lot of people, Tony. I’m just glad we didn’t lose you too, old friend.” He stands up and goes over to hug the man. When Charles lets him go, Tony wipes away what appears to be really sincere tears (Erik’s seen him cry before but that was over a lost Halo match). 

Erik stands up and offers his hand too, “We’re all happy to see you home, you ass.”

Tony takes the hand and drags Erik into a hug too. Erik would kick him in the shin, but he can hear Charles mentally tell him ‘bad, Erik, that’s bad.’ Instead he lets the tiny mogul hold on to him as if they were long-time friends not guys that only tolerated each for Charles’s sake. 

Tony finally releases him, “Okay enough of that. Shit I don’t know what to say guys. Thanks for coming down today. I had a meeting with that asshole Shaw or something didn’t I, Pep?”

She nods, “It’s cleared away.”

“Good,” nods Tony. “Boys, I want to get to business, if you’ll follow me, I’ll show you the plans for the school I’m building in Yinzen’s honor. They all get up to follow Tony to his workshop. 

Erik stops Pepper at the door.

“He seems more focused now.”

“I think he’s trying to distract himself. He built this suit to escape but he’s afraid to go near it again. He had to kill people Erik. I think it’s just starting to set in.”

Erik watches Tony and Charles walk down the hall, talking fast and laughing with each other. “He may have been influenced by a pacifist. You should limit his contact to those people. They’re dangerous.”

Pepper smiles, “I think they’re good for him. I hate to think what would have happened if he didn’t have a Charles in his life. This school will be good project for Tony.”

Erik agrees but then has a thought, “Has he reached out to Gabrielle about this?”

Pepper makes a face and walks a little faster, trying to get away from Erik. 

Erik’s not having any that.

“Pepper. I asked you a question.”

When they catch up to Charles and Tony, Tony is seated with a small Charles clone is his lap. Erik has to take a second to remember that it’s been a while since he’s seen David. The toddler has gotten bigger since the last time he visited his father in Westchester.

Charles is beaming and smiles up at Erik. “Erik! Look who’s visiting his Uncle Tony!” He ducks to pick up his son and swings him around, “David, look at how big you are!”

Erik can feel a warm mood spread across the room now that Charles has been reunited with his son. He appreciates that, but there’s that question. “Pepper, where’s Gabrielle?”

Charles stops twirling and looks at Tony.

Tony huffs, “She went ahead to schmooze with Yinzen’s family about the school site. She asked me to watch David until you got here. I’m like a baby broker. Pep, but that in my resume.”

Erik would like to be mad on Charles’s behalf. He would love to be yelling or shaking down the ugly building or doing something to show how upset he is with this, but Charles is calm. Charles is happy, holding his real baby in his arms, not a cold metal orb. Erik knows better. He finds himself smiling at David and patting the three year old on the head.

Erik’s not terribly fond of real babies but this one is identical to his favorite person.

David reaches out to him, “VATI!”

Well that cinches it. He’s doomed. And probably on the next flight out to Iraq or something.

Feeling that thought, Charles corrects him “Afghanistan Erik. We’re going to Afghanistan.”


	4. Chapter 3: An Unexpected Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She got up from the table and not a second later sent the text, [“I want a 10% raise, or I’m suing your company and his for sexual harassment.”]
> 
> The little winged extortionist. Emma would be very proud of her, indeed.

Chapter 3: An Unexpected Goodbye  
Shaw POV

Shaw was eager to get up and start this morning. While at lunch with Obie yesterday, the other man had been interrupted by a call from Howard Stark. Obie had made several faces then finally slammed his phone onto the table.

“What’s got your panties in bunch, eh Obie?”

The other man sighed dramatically and slumped in his chair. Then snaked one arm around Ms. Salvador’s waist and pulled her closer.

Bringing her was such a good idea. Pretty girl, smart and talented… Emma would be proud.

The girl actually giggled and smiled before she’s elbowed Obie in the ribs. “Excuse me,” she says looking up to him from under her lashes, “I have to use the powder room.”

She got up from the table and not a second later sent the text, [“I want a 10% raise, or I’m suing both your company and his for sexual harassment.”]

The little winged extortionist. Emma would be very proud of her, indeed.

Shaw didn’t even have to consider. She could fill out the paperwork later herself and fill in whatever number she wanted, she was already a tremendous asset to the company. “Obie you’re coming on a little strong, I think you’ve scared away Miss Salvador.”

The man laughed, “It’s just as well. She’s a spunky little thing, I’ll give her that. You’re almost as bad as Tony, letting your girls run the company for you.”

Shaw cringed at the thought, “Please don’t compare me to your godson. No one wants to hear that.”

 

Obie nods sagely, “No one does, that’s right. But does Tony think that? NO! He thinks he’s a role model. Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist. Captain of Industry in capital letters. He has it printed on his cards for god sake and now- shit I can’t even talk about it here. He should have just took your meeting this morning!”

Shaw sat back and let Obie order another drink. He was patient and careful handling the big goon. He could wait on the younger man (and Shaw will never tell you his real age) to let his burdens fall to the table.

Obie did just that. “It seems his secretary is planning to send him back to Afghanistan! Is he staying to develop the weapon he built? No! He’s not designing anything, and he’s just going there to build a school of all damn things! Taking that brat Xavier kid and his brat kid and his bitch ex-wife and all of them are going to the desert to play schoolhouse rock or something I’m the one who has to explain all this shit to the board members, I mean come on, man!”

Shaw focused on the interesting bit. “Did you say Xavier? As in Charles Xavier? The genetics professor at Columbia?”

Stane nodded, “Yeah, he and Tony went to school together. Tony’s the godfather of his son David. Hell the baby’s a telepath too! He was such a weird kid. Now that husband of his, the Frosts adopted little, little- what’s the word I’m looking for?” He takes another drink as if that would jog his memory.

Sebastian was not interested in hearing about Erik Lehnsherr again. “Emma tells me he’s her stepbrother through marriage. He’s an engineer himself right?”

Obie nodded his great big head, “He’s worked on a few projects before for the magnetic weapons program, but after he married Xavier, he swore it off. The shithead. Dude, I totally want a taco right now. Where that fairy girl go?”

Shaw grinned and sent a text to Angel, [“25%, just come back and tell him goodbye, you have important work to do with our new weapon- but make it sound like you’re not supposed to tell him anything.”]

Shaw put away his phone, “I’ll go see if I can get us some tacos, dude.”

Shaw walked away from that table confident that everything is about to fall into place for him.

Waking up to a bowl of oatmeal, and some papers outlining the conditions for Angel’s promotion puts him a good mood. Shaw sits at his desk, and decides to make a call to his lawyer.

 

Erik Pov

Baby doesn’t seem to be working. Erik can’t access the part of Charles that would make it work and Charles does not seem interested in Erik or Baby at all.

This always happens when David’s around. Charles will insist that he has to use a lot of power to shield from David, because his son has a habit of just latching onto his parents letting them know his every need. This is why Erik is still in bed and he’s sure Charles is downstairs burning the kitchen down trying to warm up some applesauce.

He puts on his robe, because last year he got a lecture about being naked around a baby.

He picks up his Baby, because it looks abandoned in the corner between the big stuffed chair and a bookshelf. 

He makes he’s way down to the kitchen. He feels out for the fire extinguisher and starts to call it to him.

It doesn’t smell like anything’s burning and that’s a good thing. He puts the fire extinguisher back.

He finally enters the kitchen where David and Charles are having oatmeal and orange juice.

Charles keeps an eye on his messy son, while addressing Erik, “I saw fire extinguisher Erik. That’s not funny.”

“If it were a joke, it’d funny as hell.” Erik says walking through the doorway.

“Language, Erik!” Hisses Charles, as waves a threatening spoonful of oatmeal in Erik’s direction. Erik ignores this comes over the table anyway. 

He kisses Charles on the forehead and pats David on the shoulder, “Unfortunately with you it’s not a joke, it’s a precaution.”

David laughs, reading the mood from two adults and finding the whole thing very funny. 

“Et tu, David,” says Charles and the toddler actually nods. Erik sets Baby on the table Charles barely gives it’s a glance.

“If you weren’t dealing with your own psionic parasite, you would have noticed I was trying to wake up Baby.”

David frowns, “I’m awake.”

Erik gives the boy a very serious look, “Not you, darling, you’re the parasite.”

“ERIK!” Shushes Charles, again waving his scary spoon.

Erik would never say is afraid of slightly warm oats and fruit, but he tries to explain to be nice. Nice and honest is what he does best. “Well he is. I could feel you tossing and turning all night. Did either of you get any sleep?” Well perhaps he does honest better than nice, either way, Charles still loves him for it. He thinks.

“I don’t sleep.” Says David. As if that were a perfectly normal thing for a small child to say.

Erik can feel his eyebrows manifesting his confusion physically but just to be sure, he says aloud, “Don’t sleep?”

 

Charles explains, “He’s gotten very strong in recent months. It seems his mind doesn’t shut off for sleep anymore. I was worried all night about it but Gabrielle says Hank has already tested him. He’s fine.”

“I’m weird,” says the boy around a mouthful of oatmeal.

Erik nods in agreement with the child and Charles slaps his thigh, “Don’t call my son names!”

“He said it!”

“You agreed!”

“Now I’m too agreeable?!” 

“Yes!”

“I want to play with the ball,” says David, reaching over his high chair. He knocks his bowl down trying to reach Baby on the table when his little arms don’t reach. Then he does something that scares the hell out of the grownups. He uses their powers.

Erik sits in shock as Baby wakes up and starts making shapes, a boat, a train. Erik has to slap Charles on the shoulder to get him to react. Charles just barely does so, blinking a few time while Erik is panicking right beside him.

David seems to realize he has done a Naughty Thing.

“Did I do something bad with powers again?”

Erik doesn’t answer. He stands abruptly, snatches up Baby and leaves the table.  
Coming back to himself, Charles rushes out behind him, but Erik has already decided. He’s going to go for run and clear his head and put some space between the Omen Baby and his Precious. But Charles catches up with him in the hall.

“Erik, I heard that! My son is not the Omen baby!”

“Have you checked his head for three sixes?”

“Yes, last Halloween, you were there.”

Erik actually stops and laughs. He turns around and looks at poor Charles. He knows Charles and Emma probably the only other people equipped to understand about what David is going through, developing so young. And he loves Charles and Emma more than anything. Even his little ball of steel. He puts the thing down on a century old three-legged console that’s already holding up a million-dollar vase. Just to see Charles eyes bug out, he lets Baby bump into the vase. 

“I’m tired of telling you, you’re not funny.” Says Charles, with one twitching from the effort he’s making not to show concern for his great-great-grandmother’s property.

“You love me,” Says Erik. He believes at least 40-42 percent of all their arguments can come to a close with that line but Charles rolls his eyes. This probably is not one of them.

“I love David… Erik we have to talk about this. You’re fine with his powers one moment, then the next you… Well if I didn’t know you any better I would think you were frightened of my son.”

Erik sighs and (because it’s still funny) leans against the little table and makes the vase wobble. Charles narrows his eyes and not-so-subtly reaches over Erik to stop the thing from moving.

Erik grins at him with all his teeth in the most reassuring manner he can manage. “I am not scared of three year old mutant. I use to be a three year old mutant, you know.”

“I know.”

“I like it when mutants explore and grow and mature into their own powers.”

“I know.”

“I want your son to be himself and if that means using his powers at the breakfast so be it!”

“I know.”

“Right!” Erik stops and then honestly sags, “But he’s so creepy Charles!”

“Erik!”

Well, Erik knows the boy is powerful, and that’s why he use to argue with Charles about mutants sticking together, and that Charles should have more visiting time with his powerful mutant baby--- then they had their first week of solo parenting and without his human mother, David had been a holy terror. Erik believes it is wise to learn from one’s mistakes. And he’s not sure encouraging Charles to be a more active parent to his real son was the best idea. He tries to think of a gentle way of explaining this to his poor sweet, sensitive Charles.

“I just don’t like babies.” Honesty always works. Wait, how did this go last time? Oh yes, there might be an Angry Charles. Erik takes stock of the Charles before him. Charles stands there with his mouth hanging open. He looks like he’s trying to come up with a response, but can’t think of something to say since he clearly want to get hands around Erik’s throat.

This is indeed an Angry Charles.

Erik is saved by the doorbell of all things.

“I’ll just get that, dearest.” He leans down and braves a kiss to Charles’s forehead. The man is still seething, so Erik makes an escape to the front door. He snatches up Baby again and walks backward. He swears he can see little puffs of steam escaping Charles’s ears.

Oh well. 

At the door, Erik tucks the orb in one arm uses the other to gesture at the door with his power. He can already feel at the other side, a new expensive watch and assumes could be none other than Tony Stark. So the door swings open.

It is not Tony Stark.


	5. Chapter 4: Chill, Bro

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If one were to describe each of the Frost children with a single word, (and Erik did once for his childhood therapist); Emma is Cold, Adrienne is Evil, Cordelia is Dark and Christian is Flaky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Age wise, Shaw is “?”, Emma is a 44, Christian 46, Adrienne 48, Cordelia is 40, Erik is 34, Tony is 30 and Charles and Gabrielle are 27. Emma’s first job was actually teaching at the prep school, at the same Charles went, but since she’s not telling Shaw her age and the man hasn’t bothered to find out.

Erik's POV

If one were to describe each of the Frost children with a single word, (and Erik did once for his childhood therapist); Emma is Cold, Adrienne is Evil, Cordelia is Dark and Christian is Flaky. Time has given Erik more insight about his siblings. He now understands that Emma is cold because Winston was bastard. Adrienne was evil because Winston was a bastard. Cordelia was a moody, devious little creature all because Winston was a bastard. But poor sweet Christian. He was the only human, and he didn’t pick on Erik and torture him like the girls did.

By the time Erik was adopted, his siblings were already adults. Emma taught the high-profile at Pembroke Academy (though if she’s in mixed company with any of younger students known she readily lies and says she was student. Erik finds this very funny). She spent her days molding young minds for a great deal of money and her evenings making Erik study as well. In hindsight he owes her a great deal, but she was a hard mistress to please. Cordelia either ignored him completely or made him feel bad. Literally with her powers, she could change his mood. That was fun.

The eldest Frost, Adrienne was evil. She would call him names, call his mother a whore, and break into his room to destroy his ‘old poor people’ things. He never did acclimate well to living in a mansion. (He’s lived with Charles for almost two years and still gets lost on the way to do his own laundry.) Adrienne took advantage of this fact the first day by telling him his room was a broom closet and leaving some bedding on the floor of it. Thankfully, his mother found him before dinner.

When Winston announced his plans to retire and leave the company to Emma, Emma refused it and gave the reigns to Erik. Erik was only twenty then, and the fallout from his step-sisters’ fight left scars on the Frost Headquarters in Manhattan. Erik is still finding old bloody glass shards embedded in his office. Adrienne stopped talking to the family after that. Cordelia moved out as well. She manages some kind rock band or something.

Winston retired to a private island complete with its own active volcano.

But poor sweet Christian.

Christian didn’t treat Erik like a project. Or bully him. After his mother died, and Winston mellowed out and sunk himself into his island project, Christian took up raising Erik. Erik told him first that he was gay, and Christian took him out for drinks to celebrate. Christian was always going to be less in Winston’s eyes but to Erik, Christian was a ray of sunshine. Even when he was strung out and living out of expensive hotels, burning up what remained of his mother’s trust fund or Emma’s handouts.

So, Erik is surprised to find this tall, graying-blond haired man at his door. It takes a moment but he smiles and opens his arms up.

“You just saved my life.” Erik says, not really bothering to explain as he barrels towards the man and gives him a hug. He pulls back and takes a good look. If Emma were a man, and looked her age, that’d be Christian. Or Erik has thought since recent years, seeing the crow’s feet delicately accent the handsome man’s tanned and chiseled face. “Are you modelling again? You look skinny.”

Christian huffs out a laugh, “I’m going to take that as a compliment.”

“It wasn’t.”

“Erik?”

Well at least there is witness, thinks Erik. Surely Charles won’t risk murdering him with a witness present.

Charles comes to the front door and coldly ignores Erik while taking Christian into his arms. “What brings you around, handsome stranger?”

Christian grins at Charles. Then the only warning Erik gets that there’s mischief afoot is just as his brother raises a cocky eyebrow before dipping Charles at the waist and kissing the younger man. With tongue. If Erik didn’t know better by now, he would probably tear his brother apart. He knows from experience it’s better to play it unaffected.

“I do hope you brushed this morning,” is all he tosses over his shoulder before he leaves Charles with Christian at the front of the house. The least Charles could do is not look so… satisfied.

 

Charles skips ahead of him, then runs to the kitchen muttering, “I left the baby in the high chair!”

Erik takes his time, allowing old Christian to leisurely catch up with him.

The elder man looks like he just rolled off a perfume ad. He’s wearing a white suit, expensive white loafers, and that watch Erik mistook for Stark’s earlier. “Where’d you get that watch?” It feels interesting, and he’s not above pimping out Charles to get a closer look at it.

He and Christian enter the kitchen just in time to see Charles coming in from the back door. He’s carrying a very muddy David.

“I flew!” Announces David with a muddy-handed salute.

“Out of your high chair?” Erik ask then notices the chair isn’t in the room. “Where’s the chair?”

“I flew!” Repeats David, as Charles vaguely gestures to the window. “It’s in the garden. He flew.”

Christian frowns at the whole scene, “But why did you put your stepson’s breakfast in the garden, Erik. Old Winston never did you like that.”

“Very funny,” says Erik still trying to wrap his head around the whole thing when he remembers he left his Baby in the front hall. Normally he’d be worried about the chandelier, but Charles is still not interested in the metal Baby, now that his real flying baby is here.

Charles is cleaning David up and David with all the enthusiasm a small child can have says again, “I FLEW! AUNT EMMA I FLEW!”

Christian grabs some paper towels to help mop up the mess Charles and David are leaving everywhere. “I’m not Aunt Emma. I’m Uncle Christian. You remember me, little man?”

David shakes his head, while Charles laughs. “He’s only just turned three. He hasn’t seen you and Emma since the wedding.”

“Who’s wedding?” Asks David.

Erik takes pity on Charles and starts to help too, taking the muddy clothes Charles left on the floor and putting them away in a basket they use to pick vegetables. “Our wedding. Charles and I were married almost two years ago, and you were the ring bearer. You wore a very handsome bouncy walker and everything.”

“I couldn’t walk?”

“No, but you could kick your way down the path in the garden outside.”

“I flew today! Are you getting married again? Is daddy going to marry Christwain?”

Christian sat down somehow completely unmarred in his white suit. Charles was starting to look as muddy as his son. Erik decided to give up on the whole thing. First he corrected the boy, “Charles can never marry Christian. Christian is very is afraid of tweed.”

The blond man plays along, nodding his head. “It’s true. The stuff of nightmares.”

David makes a confused face and all the adults laugh. Charles swats Erik across the back of the head with a muddied rag. It’s a cheap shot and Erik would like to go on record noting he was still cleaner than Charles. Charles excused himself and David to go wash up.

That left Erik sitting across from his step-brother.

“Can I see your watch?”

“Don’t you want to know why I’m here?”

“I just want to play with your toys.”

Christian gives him a fond look before relinquishing the shiny thing. Erik laughs it. It’s not a digital one, it has clockwork parts but it’s not making a sound. Ohh, that’s interesting. Christian has bad manners though interrupts Erik while he’s trying to have fun. “What is it, Christian? Your hotel maid catch you having sex in the elevators again?”

Christian shrugs. That’s not a no. He actually gets to the point and explains that Emma called him yesterday. She been working on some evil tycoon and needs his help to finish seducing the terrible man.

“This terrible man… he wouldn’t happen to be a disgusting little man called Shaw?”

“Sebastian Shaw. She didn’t say anything about disgusting. You know him?”

“He tried to grope Charles in our favorite restaurant the other night.”

“That disgusting little man.”

“That’s what I said!”

“Well, I’m not sure what kind of long con Emma running on him, but she wants me to meet him here. She said you were going to be away and she thought I could house sit for you guys. I’ll even watch the baby for a couple days.”

“How much is Emma paying you?”

“Enough.”

Erik doesn’t even have to think it over. He doesn’t like it. “Well it’s a no, Christian. I don’t know how long we’ll be gone yet. Charles is leaving David with Darwin and Alex. Why the hell would Emma think I would let you and Shaw in my house anyway?”

Christian gets up and goes to the fridge. He shrugs as he pulls out a bottled water. “She says Charles has been thinking about selling the place. I use to do some real estate work, so she wants me act like his agent and show Shaw around.”

“Now you’re making even less sense. First of all Charles isn’t selling our home. Secondly, we would never, ever sell to Sebastian Shaw.” Erik drums his fingers on the table. This table has seen a lot of abuse from him since he moved in. He remembers when a drunken Charles’s warned him to stop traumatizing the poor thing. (They then had sex on the table and Erik promised that he would be more careful not to hurt the table’s feelings).

Christian is unaware of thing with table but Erik notes that he doesn’t sit back down. Instead, his elder brother is at the fridge looking smug. “I know that. You know that. Emma knows that. But according to her, Shaw is has been bitten by the love bug. She didn’t tell me you two only just ran into him. She said Charles wouldn’t mind doing her this favor if it turned out to be a good thing for you two.”

“How is pimping out my house or my husband going to be a good thing?”

Christian smirks and finally sits back down. “Well, according to her evil plan she’s about back Shaw into some kind of corner. It would help if he’s distracted by this little crush he has on Charles. Think about it, Erik. Emma may be a cutthroat mercenary but she’s family. The only thing she’s done since leaving Frost Industries is broker mergers and takeovers for you. How many companies have you absorbed since she starting acting like a sell-sword?”

Erik leans back in his chair. He nonchalantly admits, “Five.” He never questioned the work Emma did to bring in those mergers. She’s billing herself as just a lawyer. She’s in fact the brains of the operation. What he can’t figure out is why she would sacrifice _**his** _ Charles for a company he has little affection for.

  
Erik mostly puts his time as CEO aside to focus on practical things like building engines and working as architect and engineer on the company’s projects. He ended the contract he had with Stark industries when it became apparent they only wanted him in weapons design and by then he had met Charles and wanted to focus on other things entirely.

Emma may have point. Charles is very distracting.

“When exactly did she speak to Charles about all this?”

“Still is.”

Erik and Christian look at the doorway where Charles is dressed in a grey sweats and David is wearing only a fluffy towel and Spiderman underwear. Erik accepts the bundle of mostly naked, and freshly powdered toddler. David takes this as permission to elbow him in ribs as he makes himself comfortable. “Is there a reason you aren’t dressed?” The boy only squirms in his lap managing to kick Erik’s knees with bony little heels.

“I heard what you were thinking and decided to come down and explain.” Charles has the boy’s clothes under one arm. “You can dress David while I mop up.”

Erik looks to Christian but the other man is not familiar with this kind of domesticity so he’s no help at all. The rogue.

Charles at least decides to explain. “Emma and I have been talking. On and off since the other night. Her range isn’t as far as mine, but we can both reach each other easily from here to Manhattan.”

Erik fumbles trying to get a small blue shirt over David’s head. “You do this often? Talk to my sister without me knowing?”

Charles doesn’t even hesitate to nod in the affirmative. He gets out the mop bucket and cleaner from under a baby-locked cabinet. “Just from time to time about minor things. The whole reason we met was because she’d been trying to bully me into a deal with your company. So she been keeping me abreast of how things are going with this Shaw character.”

Erik finally manages to get the shirt on only to realize it’s backwards and now David is squirming to get up and go find something else to do. Barefoot and in only his underwear and shirt. Erik sighs but tries to pay attention to what Charles is saying while he corrects his problem.

“So you’re on her side? What if Shaw thinks you’re actually interested? Have you two geniuses thought of that? I’ll have to kill him then go to jail and no one will ever see me again. Have you thought of that, hm?” He feels superior for a second sitting there with a baby now wearing his shirt the right way but still half clothed.

Charles and Christian share a look and Erik doesn’t like it. Christian hands Erik the boy’s little blue jean overalls and socks. Charles continues mopping. David continues squirming. Erik starts to feel annoyed and slams his hand on the table. (Poor table.) “I mean it Charles. I don’t like playing twisted games like this. And you are not some prize to be won!”

Charles looks up and laughs, “Did you just quote Disney?”

“I want to watch TV!”

Erik feels like smothering the boy, but instead manages to drop the baby into his pant legs and use his powers to strap the buckles. The boy looks up and smiles before he takes off into the house. Erik hopes he’s going to watch TV and not headed for the indoor swimming pool. Just in case, he reaches out with powers to make sure all the dangers in the house is on lock down before he feels the big screen TV in the game room come on. All is well.

Charles and Christian share another look before he puts the mop aside. Charles comes over kisses Erik on the head before sitting in his lap. “You forgot the socks, Vati.”

Erik groans, “I’m serious Charles. I don’t like any this.”

“Emma says to stop being such a worry wart.”

“Don’t do that. It’s like having her in my lap.”

Christian full belly laughs, “I’d pay to see that.” He says and both Charles and Erik grimace before separating.

Charles looks into the distance before relaying another message. “She says everything is under control. Shaw suspects nothing. We’re all going be even richer before the month is out. Shaw might even go to prison. Happy birthday.”

Erik can’t quell the roiling of nerves in his belly. He says as seriously as he can, “It’s not my birthday.”

 

Shaw’s POV

Emma is worth the money. Shaw knew that when she first approached him. She gave him a sob story about how her daddy disinherited her and gave Frost Industries to her evil brother. He was more interested in investigating in her fantastic cleavage. And that was worth the money too. He had no interest in the sob story at the time. But later a little digging revealed his new lawyer wasn’t just corporate merc attorney shunned from her family, she was a tycoon in her own right. She was building up an impressive stack investments with her own name and money behind them. She aided the mergers that gave her ‘evil’ brother the power to expand his base from North America to London, Saudi Arabia, China, Japan, and Germany.

What’s even more impressive is how she retains all the management and personnel of the companies but oust all the CEO’s that would be contentious to her brother ruling over them. The hand behind the king then. Emma became worth more than money. She’s an opportunity and despite what she thinks, Shaw isn’t stupid enough to waste an opportunity.

He turns in his office chair and smiles as Emma walks into his office. She looks slightly surprised to see Stane already seated at his desk.

“Emma, darling, do come over and say hello to Obie. He’s just given me some contracts to sign and I think you should be the one to look over all this technical stuff.”

Emma smiles, and it’s fake and brittle, but pretty nonetheless. “Of course, that’s what I’m here for. I wanted to talk to you about your plans to change houses though. My brother-in-law is thinking of selling his place in Westchester. You seemed to get on with them, I was wondering if you’d be interested.”

Shaw feels flattered. Emma willing to use her own family to screw him over. He’s touched really. But more importantly this is yet another opportunity. “Charles Xavier is selling his mansion?” He looks to Obie. “What do you think? I’ve never been up there myself, is it worth the look?”

Obie nods, “I’ve been there a couple of times. I was invited to both his weddings you know. It’s a big place. Drafty though. It’s no wonder the kid wears so many cardigans.”

 

Emma looks bored and takes a seat at the desk beside Obie. She goes through the papers before laughing out loud. “This is a joke right?” She looks at Obie. “You don’t have the power to agree to any this. Pepper Potts would never agree to this.”

Shaw smiles, “Well it’s a good thing this is not her company then, isn’t it. Obie here was just saying how Tony’s been getting his act together. The boy came changed from his little trip. He’ll be more mindful of his company in the future. Investing in our products is a logical step for someone who’s actually seen the face of war firsthand.”

“Bullshit.” Even when she’s vulgar she’s classy, thinks Shaw. Emma sits back and crosses her legs. Obie’s eyes track the movement and Shaw is somewhat embarrassed for him. The old man really needs to get out more.

Shaw continues, “As my lawyer, I trust you wholeheartedly with this Emma. We’re going to change the world for the better. And while we’re at, I’d love to take a look at that house. A move out of the city would be nice for my constitution, wouldn’t you say?”

Emma smiles again, and Shaw feels like the temperature in the room just dropped ten degrees.

Still, he can’t let this woman intimidate him. He’ll have to use her considerable skills to his advantage. He plans on doing just that. And maybe breaking up a marriage this week. Who knows how long it’ll take to woo a collegiate, pacifist who’s already rich like Charles Xavier. It might take a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Note that the author knows nothing about the way corporations work, but to be fair neither do any of the writers of network tv shows and we’re all willing to suspend our belief for soaps and primetime. Give me break. :P The original title of this story was Evil Mutant Real Estate Agents.


	6. Chapter 5: We All Scream, Erik

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shaw has never thought of himself as a father figure, but he can see himself raising a little hellion like this one. Charles barefoot in the kitchen, the kid proudly telling him about his school day.

Shaw POV

Two days later, Shaw calmly walks into the Stark Tower like he owns the place. He may have plans down the road that leave him confident that’s possible. That’s why he throws swagger all over the lobby on the way to the elevator. He winks at the female security guard, grins wickedly at a male intern, and kisses a baby on the head. Wait. What?

Shaw stops his march to Stark’s office when he notices the little boy. The cherubic little tot is sitting on a tall file cabinet and holding the same metal orb that Charles had a few nights ago. The baby babbles something like, ‘vatty ball.’ Shaw pats the baby on the head. “Where’d you get thing, ah… slugger?” He’s always been good with kids. It’s a gift.

The kid giggles. “It’s a baby!”

Shaw quirks an eyebrow at the kid. “No, honey. You,” he points at the kid, “are a baby. That is a ball. A very serious piece of technology I think. Shouldn’t you be supervised or something? Is there a hot nanny looking for you?”

The kid giggles again and Shaw finds himself brushing off the orb’s wires that are waving around his head. One thick cord wraps around him. Then he finds himself stuck at the wrong of a sharp looking spike. He plays it cool, its’ not like the thing can hurt him. The thing squeezes tighter.

Okay, thinks Shaw. That’s uncomfortable. “Hey, there uh, junior. Can you turn your toy off? I might accidently break it if you don’t.”

The boy makes the meanest (cutest) face. Shaw seen this look somewhere before, but before he can connect the dots the kid goes flying off the cabinet with his toy orb in tow.

Shaw watches and looks around the sparsely populated office. No one is paying him or the kid any attention. Not even the security guard he winked at earlier. How disappointing. Shaw hates not being the center of attention. Oh well, thinks Shaw. He continues to the elevator that will lead him straight up to Stark’s office. The doors open and out comes a red-faced Charles. Shaw smiles and starts to greet the love of his life, but Charles ignores him to run out of the elevator with his hand to his temple.

“David! David this is daddy! Vati wants you to bring Baby back right now. I know you can hear me David. You’re making me very cross. If you don’t stop being invisible, I’m going to have to put you in Time-Out. And…. And no macaroni with Uncle Tony, either! You’re going straight home and going to bed!”

Shaw fails to see the logic in telling a kid that can make itself invisible he’s going to a time out corner. Still, it is good to see his delightfully angelic professor again. He slowly puts two and two together. “David is your son? Of course, I see the resemblance. He has your eyes.”

Charles drops his hand from his head and looks at Shaw like he’s seeing him for the first time. His eyes get all big and round with the shock of it. Shaw also finds this delightful. Charles rushes over to him. “Did you see my son down here? Which way did he go?”

Shaw smiles and takes advantage of the Charles distress. The man needs comfort, what could be more comforting than a hug from an old friend? He pulls Charles to him and pats the other man on the back. “Don’t worry, Charles. I’m here.” He pulls away and smiles again. “You have a bit of handful there. He can fly and make himself invisible?”

“Among other things,” sighs Charles.

The man looks like he’s on the verge of crying. Shaw feels for him. He helpfully manages to get an arm around Charles’s shoulder and leads him in the right direction. “I just saw the little cutie. He went that way. I don’t think he could get far on the first floor. It’s all offices and cubicles and ah, whatever else Tony has down here.”

Charles shrugs out of Shaw’s embrace. That’s disappointing. The man raises his hand to his temple again and Shaw knows he’s trying to reach the kid without words this time. Shaw believes he has better fix for this situation.

“Hey kid, Uncle Seb has ICE CREAM!”

The boy materializes in the distance hovering over a startled secretary and zooming in the air to stop just in front of his imperiled father. Shaw has never thought of himself as a father figure, but he can see himself raising a little hellion like this one. Charles barefoot in the kitchen, the kid proudly telling him about his school day. Shaw shakes his head before the fantasy is noticed by the telepath. It wouldn’t do to be so transparent.

Charles grabs his kid and the metal orb wraps around the both of them.

“You scared the life out of me. You mustn’t do that, David.”

The boy sniffles, “I’m sorry. I was mad.”

Charles nods, “I know. I barely see you enough, and now both your mummy and I are going far away. I’d be mad too if I were you.”

The kid sniffles and gives his Daddy a hug. Hell if that doesn’t look like a good idea. Just as their perfect little family is all snuggled up and seems to accept that Shaw is the new cock in the henhouse, does the elevator ping again and some asshole with an asshole accent shout, “CHARLES! DAVID! Get away from that disgusting little man!”

 

* * *

 

Erik POV  
Charles and David look up like they’ve only just realized all the warmth from their shared cuddle was coming from some stranger.

Erik is furious. Understandably he does something scary with Baby. It starts to whip out at Shaw but Charles shuts it down. Erik frowns at his husband. “What gives?!”

Charles does the Face™, big eyes all sad and pitying. He looks from Erik to Shaw and holds David closer. “Clearly this is a very lonely man. Take pity on him, Erik. He helped me find David.” Charles and David manage to make the Face™ at the same time. Which is just… so unfair. Erik compartmentalizes his rage and offers up his most lethal smile for Shaw. The man has the good sense to flinch.

“Mr. Shaw, it’s so good to see you again. Are you on your way up to see Tony? We were just leaving.” He rushes over to his family to take Charles by the elbow and taking David in his other arm. Baby floats around behind them.

Shaw seems determined to put himself between Erik and Charles. He even steps up into their space, again handing Charles a card. “Call my office and order this little sweetie pie some ice cream. I’m sure he could use a couple of gallons worth.”

Charles has the nerve to laugh. His light tinkling, breathless laugh he saves for boring academic lecturers. Erik is shocked. Erik is appalled. Erik immediately starts thinking, “Am I not good for you? Of course I’m not good enough. We’re getting a divorce or something… You’re taking all my car prototypes and leaving me in that cold, dark mansion. No, you’re gonna pack my bags and leave me on the curb… of a bus station… in the rain… while driving off in my car with Shaw in the driver’s seat. Charles you utter bastard!”

Charles gives Erik another Look.

Erik wants to forget the last ten minutes of his life just happened.

He hastens for them to leave the building. He bats at David’s hand as the child tries to wave goodbye to Shaw. Now he feels like he has to give the child a bath after just being near Shaw’s sliminess. Charles walks ahead of them and doesn’t say a word.

In the car, Erik buckles David into his car seat and goes around to take the wheel. He’s expecting a lecture any time. So be it. Charles should have known better than to marry him anyway.

Erik is a CEO in name only. No, some might contradict him and tell him he’s actually doing better than he is, but he knows better. He doesn’t have a large salary from the company, he’s not using the profits from Winston’s old war machine to pay much. Hell, he even accepted living with Charles and letting the other man provide for their day to day. And the mansion in Westchester. (I ain’t saying he’s a gold digger- but he… is married to a billionaire. Billion with a ‘b’ is considerably larger than the lowly $100,000 he accepts from Frost’s Inc. every year.) In fact, Erik is only a lowly millionaire. Erik finds himself worrying about money, and prospects and the Right Kind of People. He’s never been the Right Kind of People person who goes into industry building which is why he lets himself get so lost in his engineering work. Emma is the talent at managing. She utilizes his ability to encourage (read: Scare the hell out of) all his employees and partners.

Shaw is schmoozer. Erik doesn’t schmooze. He hates cocktail parties. Oh god, thinks Erik. What if Charles is suffering from a surfeit of Cocktail Party Schmooze?

Charles surprises him out of his dark turn of thoughts. He stops spiraling into self-doubt and looks over at his husband who is laughing so hard he’s starting to hiccup.

“Stop laughing at me! This is serious. If you leave me for that disgusting little man, I’ll have to divorce you. Then I’ll have to murder Shaw and go to trail, because there’s no way the police will see me covered in his entrails and not know I did it.”

Charles laughs harder and David (who thinks he’s about to get ice cream) laughs as well.

Erik knows of only one way to shut up his Professor Cardigan. He lets go of the steering wheel and turns to face Charles. His feet are off the pedals and his arms are crossed. Charles stops mid-guffaw. “Erik, stop doing that. There’s a child in the car, Erik. Erik? Erik!”

Erik smirks and gets up out the Driver’s seat. Charles panics and reaches for the wheel, then claws at Erik’s retreating backside, “Erik! Sit down Erik!”

Erik makes it to the backseat and David just smiles at him, “Are we going to get the ice cream from Uncle Seb now?”

Erik scowls at the child, “I’m going to buy you all the ice cream you eat.”

“Yay!”

Just because he can, Erik makes the wheel that Charles desperately trying to steer come off the car. Charles lifts the thing and stares at traffic, then back at Erik and David. “I’m being very serious now Erik. Get back here or I’ll… I’ll kiss that disgusting little man.”

David scrunches his face up, “Are you talking about me?”

Erik leans back and with a thought pulls the car into a siding. “We need to talk Charles.”

David yanks Erik’s sleeve, “But the ice cream, Vati.”

“Not now. In moment. Daddy and I are having an argument.” Erik pushes Baby into David’s lap and lets the thing transmute into a toy train with working, moving parts.

He climbs back up to the front seat and takes the wheel. Then puts the wheel back on the car. “You know I can’t stand feeling jealous. I feel like at any moment someone is going to come and take you away from me. First, Gabrielle now Shaw. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to lose you, Charles.”

Charles looks slightly less panicked leans over to pat Erik on the leg, “I’m not going back to…” he looks behind him at David, “You know who, and I’m not in the slightest bit interested in Shaw. You know that too. You mustn’t let all this insecurity get to you. I love you, and I’m not going anywhere.”

They gaze lovingly into each others eyes for a spell.

Then David starts kicking back of Erik’s seat. “ICE CREAM!!!”

Erik turns around and shark grins at the boy, “Alright you little monster, all the ice cream you can eat. I hope you throw up!”

“Erik!”

David claps, “Yes! That’s all I want!”


	7. Chapter 6: Baby, I've Always Known

Erik POV

“Fuck. Yes. God, yes! There! YES! OH, fan… bloody… tastic.”

As Charles tries to roll over, Erik lifts up on his elbow to give the smaller man some room before settling down on top of his sated husband. He can’t help smiling. What he does do, he thinks, he does well. He does a lot, come to think of it. Very well. He finds himself grinning into Charles shoulder and since this is the only department he doesn’t receive any complaints or Needs To Improve grades in their marriage he feels properly smug.

Erik is happily enjoying the afterglow, as Charles sleepily rubs his right calf with the sole of a tiny freckled foot and he’s thinking about venturing down to worship said foot when Charles pinches his arm. “My feet are not tiny. They are appropriately proportional man-sized feet for a grown man of my stature.”

Erik keeps on grinning and kisses Charles on his neck, then his collarbone, then his mouth. “Tiny is tiny and you are… adorable.”

“Shut up,” Charles says while smiling into another kiss. “And get on with the foot rub.”

Erik slides his hands up and down Charles’s flanks (a fan favorite) which elicits a moan from said fan.

“Who said I was going to rub your feet? I never said anything. You’re making things up.”

Charles wiggles free from under Erik and lays on his side with eyes all wide like he’s just had an epiphany. “You know something. I think you’re right. I’ve been hearing voices in my head. I may be just going _crazy_ in my old age.”

“Well, duh. I’ve been telling you that.”

Erik isn’t surprised to find himself being smothered by a pillow. It’s always his favorite red pillow, the poufy one with really fluffy down. He’s just thinking to himself that he should author a living will and tell the world, ‘ _It was the Professor, in the Bedroom, with the Fluffy Red Pillow._ ’

Charles stops the attempted murder and starts laughing so Erik takes his chance to flip the smaller man over and hold him down. Charles is still laughing at him so Erik has every right to bite him on the shoulder and thinks loudly, ‘ _I’m going to give bad marks for being so naughty._ ’

Charles just hums, “ _I happen to like your shark bites.”_

Erik sits up and theatrically wiggles his eyebrows, “Kinky.”

Just as Charles dissolves into another fit of laughter, there’s a knock on the door.

Charles attempts to sit straight up and only manages bump into Erik’s nose with his shoulder. Erik believes he’s fine if a bit sore so he gets up as Charles leaps out of the bed and covers up in his robe. Erik doesn’t feel like bothering so he retreats to the bathroom. It doesn’t take a telepath to know there’s only one person who could be knocking on their bedroom at three in the morning. So he closes and locks the door and leans against the counter, listening as Charles opens the door.

The next thing he hears is the high-pitched whine from a toddler who doesn’t sleep apparently. Just the same, Erik had a fool-proof plan. That night after dinner, he told David he could sit up in the game room in a pillow fort and watch TV all night. Charles argued against it at first but Erik talked him around.

(His arguments were simply,

a.) The kid doesn’t sleep, why are you putting him to bed? And b.) The kid keeps you up all night when you do need sleep and c.) For fuck’s sake Charles, he doesn’t sleep!)

After winning the argument Charles and Erik went to bed. And after two nights of not sleeping, Charles was out like a light before Erik could suggest anything else. Luckily he woke up again after a power nap. Erik tried to be subtle at the time. He held Charles closer and asked, subtly mind you, “Charles are you awake? Can we fuck?” Charles sighed in an adorably put-upon manner, (like he wasn’t thinking it, too the randy bastard) and carelessly yawned, “Yes, I suppose so. You have something in mind?”

They got into plenty after that but it’s only been about hour and Erik is sure he can go for another round or three before he goes to work in the morning. He has just made up his mind. He’s going back in there to tell Charles and David that it’s his to turn to play with Charles, and David can just wait until after breakfast. Not the morning. Erik has plans for the morning, too. So Erik wraps a towel around his waist like the good responsible adult he is, and starts for the door when he sees his face in the mirror. A thick red smear is covering half his face a thin stream steadily flowing down his chin. He looks down and for the first time notices the red in his palm where he first rubbed his nose.

“Oh no.”

Without any warning Charles runs in through the bathroom door. “I broke your nose?!” He completely ignores that fact he nearly hit Erik in the face with the door.

“Where’s David?”

“In his room. I broke your nose? Oh Erik, my love. I’m so sorry!” He takes the towel from Erik’s waist and grossly wipes the blood from his face.

Erik offers a weak protest, “That was on my ass!”

“It’s just the corner, darling.”

“Charles, stop. I’m not a child. I’ve had a broken nose before you know. I’ll be fine.”

Charles backs off looking hurt and guilty. “I’m so sorry. I thought for sure David was going to fly through the door. I had my shields up so high, he said he couldn’t even see me anymore. It made him worried, so he came right up here. After he finished the finale of My Little Pony.” The child did have his priorities straight.

“You’re not shielding from him now?” Erik is worried the boy will come flying through window or something just to see him bloodied. He’s a weird and creepy kid, he’d probably think it was funny.

“I told you my son is not creepy.” Charles throws the towel in the hamper and goes back to bed.

That leaves Erik to clean his face himself, with a clean towel this time. When he climbs back into the bed he’s still naked. He notices Charles is wearing his stripped blue pajamas. Or as Erik like to think of them, the Cockblock PJ’s. He has to get back on track or there may not be shower sex in the morning.

Erik clears his throat and Charles simply turns his back on him. That’s not good. Erik lays down, plastering his body against his husband. The problem with the Cockblock PJ’s is that Charles always looks so cute in them. Apparently he’s had them since he was 15 years old (and they still fit if a bit threadbare). Erik has told him before, he’s not attracted to Charles for looking like jailbait even at 27 (that would be really creepy) but for some reason he finds this ridiculously arousing. Which would not be a problem if Charles had not shared a very poignant memory when they first got together.

Apparently the Cockblock PJ’s were a gift from Charles’s beloved old Great-Great Aunt Frances. The old woman was an activist and adventurer. She was something of a black sheep in the family. She showed up unannounced and whisked Charles away for a world tour just after his 15th birthday. She died unexpectedly in South Korea, and Charles had to come home to a big house with a drunken mother and abusive step-brother.

Charles had told him early on their relationship that these were his comfort jim-jams, and there would be funny business. Wearing them give him a sense of peace, and he thought of his namesake and the exciting adventure he had in his childhood. (Erik still thinks this is funny: Frances and Francis in France) Charles doesn’t turn in his arms. He keeps on, and even snores after a moment.

Erik knows for a fact, that Charles does not snore.

However, Erik is not a bad husband (like some people) and will not rub his erection into the crack of Charles’s Cockblock PJ’s covered ass. He’s not some animal or werewolf or wereshark or something. So he turns over as well.

* * *

 

Shaw POV

“God damnit! That is all wrong, what the hell is happening down there!”

Early morning video calls to his new plant manager were the worst. Shaw sat behind his desk and looked at the man on screen stretched on the opposite wall. Mr. Wilson was supposedly an expert in all manner of weapons. He was supposed to be the securing the mining operations in Africa. He was supposed to be leading Stryker around by the dick. He was supposed to be collecting some new personnel for the 24-hour shift for the factory. What he wasn’t supposed to do, was dance.

Mr. Wilson had other ideas. Across the Atlantic, the man was dressed in a strange black and red jumpsuit. And he was dancing. He stopped just as if he just noticed a giant screen turn on and looked Shaw in face, “Whoa. Your head is the hugest.”

Shaw took a deep breath. He could be calm. He had just eaten a delicious bowl of oatmeal. He could do this. He smiled at Mr. Wilson. “Wilson. Emma gave you the highest of praises. Tell me why exactly, you feel the need to party with the natives while my machines are running.”

Mr. Wilson doesn’t stop shaking his hips. He disappears off-camera and returns with dance partner.

“Stryker? What the hell is going on down there?”

Stryker squirms in the other man’s grip, but he’s still following Wilson’s lead. “Sir, I don’t know what happen. Trask sent me here with ammunitions for a test run. I got off the plane, and found myself surrounded.”

Wilson spins Stryker back out of the screen before coming in close to whisper, “He got beat up by girls.”’

Shaw frowns at his screen and watches as Stryker beats Wilson away. He’s holding a piece of paper in his hand. “SHAW! This is important!”

Shaw frowns further, “I know. Nothing is going according to plan. I’m waiting on your excuse, Colonel.”

The man frowns, “How were you not aware that the plant and mining site were on territory recently reclaimed by the Wakandan government? The King sent his personal guard to take me off the plane!”

Wilson is still dancing behind Stryker, “He got beat up by girls. Big girls. Very healthy. Very good dancers. Meringue Pie!” We shakes himself out of the shot again. Stryker sighs, and looks confusedly at Shaw as the screen goes out.

Shaw sits back in his chair. He was right. He knew he was right. Emma has set him up. She sat him down and lied to his face then sent her mercenary in to help the Wakandans establish legitimacy before he could finish buying the land from the other tribes. They were supposed to accept profits from the factory’s output in return for staying on his side and not reporting the mines to Wakanda. The mines have precious mineral found nowhere else in the world and Shaw wants it. The mines are also technically under Wakanda’s land, but the opening shafts from the tunnels he’s been digging for the last six months are just outside of the Great King’s territory. Or they were. Before Emma interfered.

All he has right now is the suspicion. She’s probably covered her tracks well and he won’t find anything to link her back to this sabotage. He smiles and turns the screen back on. “Oh, Colonel. Are you still there?”

The Colonel sitting in a chair with his head in his hands. “What now?”

“I need you to acquire Mr. Wilson there. He’s a mutant you know. He has incredible reflexes. I’m sure Dr. Trask could find something useful to do with him.”

Stryker looks disgusted, “I doubt it. But either way I’m going to sew his mouth up.”

Behind Stryker, Wilson continues to dance, now with three beautiful women dressed in work overalls. “Why is everyone dancing?”

Wilson twirls to a stop. “Because. Last call before the ship sails. S.S. Tom Cruise! Hey,” he whispers before getting really close to the camera again, leaving just a big nose for Shaw’s screen. “Hey, boss. I was wondering about my check, you know the golden ticket. Boss, I can’t get on the ship without it. Boss? Nevermind, it’s cool. I’ll hitchhike a ride. I think that gentleman over there thinks I’m cute. Hey sailor!”

He leaves and Stryker sighs again, “There’s no fucking boat. What the hell is he talking about? When I got here he told everyone to stop working. He cut the power lines to the production belts, he closed all the product gates, and took everyone off the line. He’s gone looney. He’s got another piece of paper here saying he lost his ‘pills’ and that he can’t act right without them. Now there’s guns and unprocessed metal just sitting around everywhere… It’s a mess,” he sobs and puts his head back down.

Shaw nods, “I’ll tell Trask to come pick you up. We can’t let this halt the next phase.”

He turns off the video call and sits back. The meeting with Stark yesterday had been short. He walked in, tried to get Stark’s ear, when his nanny showed up. She basically dressed the man in front of him and then rushed him out the door saying, “He has a five o’clock in Australia with the Prime Minister. Very Important. We’ll call you later.”

He was left in the lobby without Stark, without Charles and without any legitimate prospects.

Still sitting in his office after the video call, Shaw buzzes Angel. “Be a dear and call Janos and Azazel. Tell them to get their new hats, I’m taking them out on the town.” Angel agrees to do so and Shaw makes another call.

“Hey there, Emma. I’m having a little problem with a contract. Can you come in and deal with it- Oh that’s great. Where would I be without you? See you soon.”

He hangs up the phone and stands up. There’s a panic room in his office behind his desk. He recently had the whole thing remodeled with panels of crystal. He puts in his code and goes inside and sits down on a white leather couch. He’s sure Emma will appreciate the touch when she’s gets her. She’ll have a great deal of time to get used to it.

 


	8. Bubbles in the Sky with Dish Soap

Erik's POV

 

The morning plans are definitely derailed. Erik sat awake angry for so long, that when he finally passed out, he stayed out. He woke up to a bed sans Charles and felt everything in the kitchen already starting up.

Erik sits up in bed trying to think of a way to get _something_ before he goes to work. Charles may not agree to any screwing around in their favorite places, especially the kitchen if David is standing around with his creepy clone face and creepy powers. No, Erik corrects himself. David is not creepy. He is just a baby. A very powerful baby. Practically onminpotent, godlike baby. So he will refer to it from now on as the baby. And save himself from further grief from Charles about being honest.

That’s when the baby and Baby toddle into the room. Baby is half the size of David in its current configuration as a toy boat. David doesn’t seem to care about the rules (the one about Erik being naked around small children because it’s traumatizing, yada yada), and climbs up onto the bed.

“I want a bath, Vati.” He says with all the sense he usually he makes. “Now,” he adds completely ignoring Erik’s nakedness under the sheets. Or he doesn’t know and if that’s the case Erik would like to keep it that way. Explaining the ins and outs of sex with Charles was definitely not in his plans for this morning.

Erik frowns at the child, “Where’s your Daddy?”

“He said to tell you to do it, because he’s busy. And that you have to brush my hair. But,” he amends with a sneaky side eye that Erik in _no_ _way_ trusts. “Not my teeth.  And I get to pick out my clothes...  And I can have cake and ice cream for breakfast.” He lies out of his tiny little mouth and Erik frowns at how natural it is for Charles’s spawn.

Reaching out with his powers, he finds Charles is already in his car. He’s left a Thought Bubble impression on Erik’s mind. Apparently, Charles has an emergency summons to Columbia. “ _Erik,”_ projects the younger man, “ _A grad student probably sneezed in a petri dish. They’re all going into a panic.  Stay with David until Darwin comes to pick him up. Thanks_.”

He exits Erik’s mind and the metal bender sits frowning at the baby and Baby on the bed.

“Aren’t you old enough to wash your own ass?”

David laughs at the inappropriate language. He seems to enjoy breaking rules with Vati when Daddy and Mommy aren’t around. “You can make a big tub of water and I can practice swimming!”

Erik raises his Skeptical Eyebrow™, “Or you can take a quick shower, dress in something respectable and eat oatmeal for breakfast.”

David’s face drops and suddenly he’s crying. Erik is faced with a miniature version of Charles Is So Disappointed And Teary, and it almost breaks his heart. Almost. He shoos David off the bed and the kid does so, flying out the room without Baby and crying in his little hands.

“That’s not good.” Erik says as he gets out of bed.

He feels around the house and can tell David is moving around in the refrigerator.

He sighs, thinking it’s a good thing for the kid to try being self-sufficient. There's some bread and jam down there, he figures the kid can use a toaster by himself. Morning parenting isn’t so hard, he thinks. Charles just likes to make it look that way. Erik takes a quick shower and gets dressed for work. When he comes downstairs he finds David in the kitchen sink. Washing himself with the dish soap and blowing the most incredible square-shaped bubbles. There’s an empty tub of ice cream dripping on the table.

“That’s really not good,” says Erik.

David giggles and splashes as if this were something they both agreed on.

  

* * *

 

 Shaw's POV

Shaw is surprised to see the object of his affection running through the lobby of his building. He can see from his big screen live security footage of the bright eyed young man running to the elevator. Charles ignores security and personnel. He’s apparently on his way up to see Shaw. There’s a part of Shaw that so happy he could dance and another part that would like to order Azazel and Janos to make Emma disappear.

She’s been locked in the panic room for an hour now, and he can’t place when she made a call to the little Knight in Shining Sweater.

Shaw signals for Azazel and Janos to make themselves scarce. He spruces himself up, checks a mirror in his desk for defects. (As if he would find any). Diverting the ambitious academic socialite should be easy enough. He’ll simply tell Charles he’s mistaken, threaten to call security if the young man gets any ideas and then offer to take him to lunch as an apology. This could be the sort the thing they laugh about twenty years.

Making plans to live as Man and Professor doesn’t negate some precaution. He puts his new hat back on and stands up like was just about to leave the office.

Charles comes in right on time. Color high in his cheeks, his bright eyes sparkling with intensity. Shaw takes a moment to marvel at the sight before gathering his wits. “Charles,” he greets the young man with open arms. “I wasn’t expecting you. I was just about to go out for breakfast. Care to join me?”

Charles marches forward in a determined gait, raises two fingers to his head, “Let her out. Now.”

“Let who out?” It can’t hurt to play dumb, he thinks. There’s no proof that Emma is in the panic room.

Charles frowns and the little line in his forehead distracts Shaw from important things. Perhaps it would be better if he paid attention to Angel, walking into the office suddenly with a glazed over look. Behind her are several men and women from his security detail. The sirens of cop cars sound off below.

Shaw backs over to his window and takes a peek. There’s a mutant suppressing Swat team assembling at his front door. That’s not good, he thinks.

He laughs, “Charles, what’s the meaning of this?”

Charles puts his hand down. “I’m giving you a chance to walk away from this. Let my sister-in-law out of the panic room.”

Shaw considers all his options. Angel looks particularly nasty. He could probably repel or absorb an attack by her, but who wants a flaming, acidic snot wad thrown at them? Weighing everything on a scale of one to ten, he thinks. One is losing a damn fine lawyer and his revenge. Ten being imprisoned (or they will attempt to capture him, he’s not likely to go down, because… come on). Shaw didn’t get to where he is today without negotiating his way to a bigger fortune. And now his little innocent school teacher has shown up with great deal of firepower trained on his head. It makes him curious. “Did you call the cops or are you controlling them?”

Charles smirks. It’s the cutest, most cheeky thing, thinks Shaw. Red lips curving up confidently as he tells Shaw, “All the people in your building, and three local precincts worth of cops are waiting to take you down. Do not test me, Shaw. Let Emma out.”

Shaw concedes. Losing a mere battle is no big deal. Charles would be in just as much trouble for illegal mind control of the populace according to the law. He’ll be in even more trouble for government employees. If he can’t cover this up, he could lose his job and Shaw knows that. So he has something on the telepath and telepath has him on kidnapping charges. Big deal. They could probably move past this and still buy matching yoga pants. (Shaw appreciates a healthy and fit partner).

Going to his desk, he thumbs the security button that opens the door.

He walks Charles over to the entrance where they find Emma still seated. Behind her there’s a large hole in his very expensive crystal technology.

Before Shaw can ask what happens she stands up and walks out the door. Stopping only to glare at him, “We’re not through here, Sebastian. I’m going to make sure you pay for this.”

“Lawyers.” He says rolling his eyes, “Always trying to tack on another a bill.”

Charles wraps an arm around her and Angel and company suddenly return to normal.

Shaw watches the security footage as Charles and Emma leave the building.

“Sir,” asks the winged girl, “What just happened? I feel like I have Deja-vu or something. Did you ask me to come in here?”

Shaw sits on his desk, still wearing his hat (and now a little afraid to remove it). “Be a dear and fix a cup of chamomile tea. I feel a little queasy this morning.” He’s always thought it not fair that he’s can absorb kinetic energy from the outside world, but has to settle a tummy ache with soup and tea. In fact, seeing the swat team still outside makes his stomach really over active. “On second thought, be a dear and bring me some Pepto. It’s that kind of morning.”

She pointedly looks away and goes to fulfill his request.

Shaw stands at the window, now serious unnerved by the two telepaths calmly walking away.

**Author's Note:**

> I do this myself every year, let a little plot bunny out to roam, then I abandon it somewhere in the woods.


End file.
